Iran using executions to instill fear, maintain grip on power: Amnesty International urge global action

A robust international action is urgently needed to halt a horrifying surge in executions, akin to Iran’s 2023 prisons mass killings, the Amnesty International has stated

The Organization stated that without a robust global response, the Iranian authorities will feel emboldened to execute thousands more people in the coming years with total impunity.

The human right Organization made the call on Thursday in a new research briefing published on x.

The organization said since 2022 uprising, the Iranian authorities have intensified the use of death penalty to instil fear among the population and tighten their grip on power in the aftermath of the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising of September-December 2022.

The Amnesty International which raised the alarm over the disproportionate impact of the authorities’ lethal anti-narcotics policies on poor and marginalized communities, said it has repeatedly urged the Iranian authorities to amend Article 91 of the Islamic Penal Code to abolish the death penalty for crimes committed by children in all circumstances.

The Organization frowned at the executions of those arrested as children
Last year, saying it marked a shocking escalation in the use of the death penalty against child offenders, with the executions of one 17-year-old boy and four youths convicted of crimes that took place when they were under 18 years old.

The Organization said the number of executions in 2023 is the highest recorded since 2015 and marks a 48% increase from 2022 and a 172% increase from 2021, adding that Iran’s killing spree is continuing into 2024, with at least 95 recorded executions by 20 March.

“The death penalty is abhorrent in all circumstances but deploying it on a mass scale for drug-related offences after grossly unfair trials before Revolutionary Courts is a grotesque abuse of power. The Islamic Republic’s deadly anti-narcotics policies are contributing to a cycle of ‎poverty and systemic injustice, and further entrenching ‎discrimination against marginalized communities, in particular Iran’s oppressed Baluchi minority,” l

Amnesty International recalls that last year saw a wave of executions targeting protesters, social media users and other actual or perceived dissidents for acts protected under international human rights laws.

“Protesters, dissidents and members of oppressed ethnic minorities are among those executed as the authorities have weaponized the death penalty in an orchestrated bid to sow fear among the public and suppress dissent. Without a robust global response, the Iranian authorities will feel emboldened to execute thousands more people in the coming years with total impunity.

“Our shocking findings on the Iranian authorities’ ongoing assault on the right to life underscore the urgent need for the international community to press the Iranian authorities for an immediate moratorium on all executions. As the UN Human Rights Council votes this week on whether to renew the mandates of the Fact Finding Mission on Iran and the Special Rapporteur on Iran, it is vital to signal to the Iranian authorities that their abysmal human rights record will remain under international scrutiny and to ensure that an international independent investigative and accountability mechanism remains in place to collect and analyze evidence of crimes under international law.”